Houston man receives 25-year prison sentence for home invasions

Courtney Medina, 24, convicted of aggravated robbery

Courtney Manuel Medina, 24, will be required to serve half of his 25-year sentence for using a deadly weapon during home invasions.

FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas - A Houston man has been convicted of aggravated robbery after targeting residents living in Katy apartment complexes.

Courtney Manuel Medina, 24, was sentenced to 25 years in prison in connection with two home invasions at The Palms at Cinco Ranch Apartments of Katy.

Around 1 p.m. on Nov. 22, 2013, deputies with the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office were called to an apartment complex on F.M. 1093.

A woman was lying in her bed and felt nausea associated with her pregnancy when she heard a knock at the door. She didn't answer and heard a loud crash. Three men entered the apartment, and one of them pointed a handgun at her according to the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office.

Authorities say she reached for her phone and was thrown to the floor and threatened with sexual assault if she looked at the intruder's faces. The woman was then tied up with electrical cords while her items were stolen. One of the men attacked the woman in a way that put her in fear of sexual assault, according to investigators.

Investigators say once the men left they knocked on the next apartment door. The man living in the unit said he answered the door to find no one there. That's when he was ordered inside as the men forced their way inside of his apartment. The man was similarly bound with electrical cords as his property was stolen, according to officials.

Both victims told police that they were repeatedly threatened by a gun being pressed to their heads.

The men fled before police arrived and no arrests were made.

Medina was arrested less than a month later on an unrelated charge. He confessed to both home invasions, according to police. On Aug. 18, Medina pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon.

Investigators say Medina is an admitted gang member.

"It's dark days when violent men such as these attack a pregnant woman," Fort Bend County District Attorney Thomas Pfeiffer said. "But together we stand with our community to condemn the criminal acts that so recklessly endanger our peace."

Officials say that since a deadly weapon was used in the home invasions that Medina will be forced to serve at least half of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.

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